preppy dress code

4.7

A neat, classic style of clothing with blazers and ties like private school students wear

noun

: código de vestimenta preppy

The school's strict preppy dress code requires students to wear blazers and ties every day.

Examples

Many fashion magazines highlighted the resurgence of the preppy dress code in college campuses.
Her preppy dress code made her stand out at the casual party.
Many schools enforce a strict preppy dress code.
Is the preppy dress code really necessary?
The school's strict preppy dress code requires students to wear blazers and ties every day.
Many fashion magazines highlighted the resurgence of the preppy dress code in college campuses.
Her preppy dress code made her stand out at the casual party.

Synonyms

preppy outfit

vspreppy dress code

4.8

A neat, school-style way of dressing with blazers and polo shirts

is more formal and associated with youth culture

Antonyms

to dress down

Informal

1 3.8

To wear casual clothes instead of formal ones

How Preppy

preppy dress code

4.7

formal look

1 3.4

Surface Forms

preppy dress code singular

preppy dress codes plural

Morphology

preppy + dress + code

The phrase is straightforwardly compositional: 'preppy' describes a style, and combined with 'dress code' it yields 'a set of rules about clothing in a preppy style' so a learner who knows the three words can derive this meaning. This modifier + noun construction is a common, predictable pattern in English (and other languages), making the expression transparent to a B1 learner who knows the constituents.

Etymology

Preppy dress code comes from students at private 'prep' schools who wore neat, classic clothes like blazers, polo shirts, and ties. Here preppy shows the school style, dress means clothes, and code means 'rules', so the phrase now refers to neat, college-style clothes or rules about what to wear.